Tuberculosis, TB Test and BCG Vaccine (Flyer & Letters)

"Rudolph Steiner, the founder of the philosophy behind Waldorf
education, would turn over in his grave if he knew that a Waldorf school
was forcing this medical procedure on their students since he was a
STRONG opponent of vaccinations."

Dear Members and Friends -

The TB test is now commonly given as a requirement for school entry and
employment in various fields.
Although I was able to get out of having the test when I worked for the
Panhandle Health District 10 years ago,
I had to take my case all the way up the chain of command to the director
of Public Health in our state.
I now am told that it is not so easy.

Dr. Len Horowitz moved to Hawaii this past winter and attempted to enroll
his two daughters in a Waldorf school there.
They would not let his children in the school without this invasive
procedure -- the TB tine test.
When I told him to present the packet insert for Tubersol in which it
clearly states that there are many false positives from the test itself
and that a SURE test is a sputum sample, the Waldorf school declined this
more accurate test saying that his children were too young to pull up
sputum from their lungs. A chest x-ray is another SURE test but wasn't
discussed to my knowledge.
Dr. Horowitz couldn't find a lawyer that had his heart into challenging
the state of Hawaii's law so he opted to homeschool his children. Rudolph
Steiner, the founder of the philosophy behind Waldorf education, would
turn over in his grave if he knew that a Waldorf school was forcing this
medical procedure on their students since he was a STRONG opponent of
vaccinations.

Another lady I met in Washington state told me that she was told she
had to have the TB test for a job. She told her employer that she
would take the test if her employer would sign a paper guaranteeing that
the test did not contain any live or dead viruses. Since the employer was
not able to do so and did not want to be caught in a discrimination case
(this lady is an American Indian), she let my friend slide.

Below is an excellent fact sheet from England on Tuberculosis. We suggest
that you format it into a Word document and make copies to share with
others.

THE DISEASETB is a disease which affects the lungs and can cause people
to cough up blood. Other symptoms are: chest infection, fever, swollen
glands, weight loss, night sweats, constant tiredness, loss of appetite.
Rarely, it can affect the bones and brain.
The disease is linked to poor living standards and is more common in
inner city areas where living conditions are cramped. TB can be spread by
coughing and sneezing. In 1996 there was a 13% rise in TB incidence
worldwide. (1, 2 and 3)

THE VACCINEThe BCG vaccine is given to children aged 10-13 years. It is
also given to newborn babies of ethnic minority and to babies who live in
inner city areas (1 and 2) In the case of older children, a test is
normally done to see whether or not a child is already immune to TB. This
is called the Heaf test.

The Heaf test...The Heaf test is used by 95% of school districts. It is done
by puncturing the skin with 6 tiny needles that inject a trace amount of
TB infection into the body with the purpose of seeing whether the person
has a reaction. If the person doesn't have a reaction, the result is
negative and they will be given TB vaccine.
The test, however, is not known for it's efficacy. The American Academy
of Pediatrics tells its members that the test could give false negative
and false positive results. The Lancet reported that a lot of medical
professionals aren't even sure what a positive test means. It could mean
that someone is immune to TB, or it could mean that they are simply
allergic to the test. (4)

EfficacyIn the world's largest and only double-blind vaccine trial of
BCG vaccine in India, the incidence of TB was higher in the vaccinated
group then in the control group.
The New Scientist wrote: "the world's biggest trial to assess the
value of BCG tuberculosis vaccine has made startling revelation that the
vaccine does not give any protection against bacillary forms of
tuberculosis." (5)

The Lancet (14 March 1992) also carried out a study of 83,000 people who
had been vaccinated against TB and concluded that they could find no
statistically significant protection by the BCG vaccine against
tuberculosis. (6) Holland does not have a BCG programme, and they have
the lowest TB death rate in Europe. (5)

They don't know how or if it worksIn the book `Vaccines' by Plotkin and Mortimer, under the
heading `Efficacy of Bacille Calmette-Guerin' it states: "The true effectiveness of BCG vaccine has been debated for
decades. Large clinical trials from the 1930's and through the 1970's
yielded wide ranging and conflicting results, demonstrating efficacy from
0 to 80%. The most recent trial in India only served to continue the
argument".even after years of study and debate, the question `does BCG
work?' cannot be answered definitely."

Also:"The exact immune response elicited by BCG vaccination and its
mechanism of action within the host are not well understood"..Studies of
the immunological events that occur within the human host after BCG
vaccination are almost totally lacking".both animal data and human
clinical studies have provided information about the immune response to
BCG, yet no vaccine so widely used is so little known about its
mechanisms of action.
The immunology is complicated and development of an assay has been
hampered by the lack of understanding".given our incomplete understanding
of tuberculosis immunology, we are left with imperfect indicators of
immunity." (12)

Side effectsRash, fever, local induration, pain and lymphadenopathy,
discharging ulcer, abcess formation, anaphylactic shock, lymphadenitis,
difficulty in breathing, nausea, vomiting, phlyctenular conjunctivitis,
draining sinuses, death.
In 1930, 73 children were killed by BCG vaccine in a few months. A book
by Dr. Neville Irvine, "BCG Vaccination in Theory and Practice" reports
of this disaster.

There had been a similar number of deaths in Spain when the Association
of Spanish Pediatricians told their members not to use the vaccine. (7,
8, 9 and 10) A report in the Medical Monitor (June 1992) also stated that
the vaccine can give you TB!"It can cause disseminated TB in immuno-suppressed individuals,
including children, and local ulceration and osteitis (wasting away of
the bone) appears to be more common in babies."Complication rates for serious side effects (from the vaccine)
were recorded at 3-6 children per 200 (1.5% - 3%). (4)

Contraindications
The vaccine should not be administered if the recipient:

Is taking steroids or any other immuno-suppressive therapy such as
radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

I have enclosed the package insert for Tubersol, the most common of the
brands used for the TB skin test. This will be the best tool we can give
you in asserting your right to abstain from this experimental procedure.
I have highlighted a couple significant portions: page 3 admits the
experimental nature of the product and on page 5 the manufacturer,
Aventis Pasteur, admits that the test may give false positive reactions
and the only sure test is microbiological examination of sputum (saliva)
or a chest x-ray. You will also note on pages 2 and 3 the many
contraindications and potential adverse reactions.

Although we cannot guarantee that your employer will honor your wishes in
opting for a sputum sample to be checked out in a laboratory, it is
certainly worth a try and certainly always worth educating folks about
the danger of compromising anyone's immune system by injecting foreign
proteins into their system. These carcinogenic substances end up in the
bloodstream without censoring by the liver or tonsils, a harmful practice
in and of itself. Afterall, the purity of our bloodstream is our greatest
health asset and a true barometer of our state of health. You can also
try using the acceptance of medical liability form, as well as others
listed on our website:
www.vaclib.org

We sincerely wish you the best in your attempts to abstain from this
unwarranted medical procedure. Many people do not realize that
tuberculosis is unheard of in unvaccinated populations.

"Note: James Phipps, the eight-year-old boy initially vaccinated by
Jenner in 1796, was re-vaccinated 20 times, and died at the age of
twenty. Jenner's own son, who was also vaccinated more than once, died at
twenty-one. Both succumbed to tuberculosis, a condition that some
researchers have linked to the smallpox vaccine." [Favez, G,
"Tuberculous Superinfection Following a Smallpox
Re-Vaccination", Praxis, July 21, 1960; 49:698-699; Ambs, E et al,
"Tuberculous Abscess of the Upper Arm With Regional Lymphadenitis as
a Consequence of Injection in Two Siblings", Med Klin, July 7, 1967,
62:1050-1054; Eleanor McBean, The Poisoned Needle (Mokelumne Hill,
CA : Health Research, 1974) pp. 28-29, 66] (p. 46)

I am a nursing student. This year I decided that I did not want to get the TB Skin Test, which my college
said was required in order to participate in clinicals. Last year, while participating in the same degree program,
I got the TB Skin test, but declined getting the required vaccinations (flu shot, MMR, etc).
The school honored my request to decline the required vaccinations, but the clinical sites still had the right to decline
me from participating in clinical. As it turned out, the clinical sites allowed me to go to clinical in spite of not
getting the required vaccinations. This year, I was concerned that by my choosing to not get the TB Skin test,
I wouldn't be able to go to clinical and finish the program I am in. Then, I found out about the QuantiFERON TB Gold test,
which can be used in place of the TB Skin test in proving that I do not have TB. When I submitted the results of the
quantiFERON TB Gold test to the school, they contacted the clinical sites, and one of the sites replied that this test is
acceptable.
So, I was able to go to the clinical site that accepted the test and to continue in the nursing program.
OSHA
Standard Interpretations
09/23/1997 - The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and the Enforcement Procedures for TB.

"Finally, be aware that participation in the employer's skin testing program is voluntary on the part of the employee.
OSHA does not require that employees participate in TB skin testing, only that the employer make such skin testing available to employees."